Rear diff leak (1 Viewer)

[Phil Mike]

I have an 1992/93 hdj80, triple locked (factory) and it's developed a very slow leak on the mid to upper passenger side of the rear diff. I searched the forums but only found the one post regarding a rear diff leak, but it looks different from where mine is coming from.
It seems to be coming from the rectangle shaped part on the upper passenger side of the diff case. (Total newb, not sure what it is called, photos attached) anyone has suggestions what might be the problem please let me know!
If you know any mechanics in north east Mexico or south east Texas that work on old Cruisers, please let me know that too!
I'll be in Monterrey, Mexico in a few weeks (coming from Mazatlan area) and could cross the border from there.

 

[BILT4ME]

I have an 1992/93 hdj80, triple locked (factory) and it's developed a very slow leak on the mid to upper passenger side of the rear diff. I searched the forums but only found the one post regarding a rear diff leak, but it looks different from where mine is coming from.
It seems to be coming from the rectangle shaped part on the upper passenger side of the diff case. (Total newb, not sure what it is called, photos attached) anyone has suggestions what might be the problem please let me know!
If you know any mechanics in north east Mexico or south east Texas that work on old Cruisers, please let me know that too!
I'll be in Monterrey, Mexico in a few weeks (coming from Mazatlan area) and could cross the border from there.

No pics attached.

You have to have 5 posts before you can attach pics.

 

[Phil Mike]

Not sure why the photos didn't attach last time... wifi here isn't great.....

 

[Phil Mike]

No pics attached.

You have to have 5 posts before you can attach pics.

Ahh thay makes more sense. I did have a different account with more pics but couldn't log in for some reason.
Sorry to spam my own thread yall. Will post pics as soon as I can

 

[Phil Mike]

Here are photos. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Squeegee]

Seals fail, just pull the 3rd member and reseal it with rtv or an oem paper gasket.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

It doesn't look that bad, is it leaving drops or puddles?

 

[Phil Mike]

Seals fail, just pull the 3rd member and reseal it with rtv or an oem paper gasket.

Thank you.

 

[Phil Mike]

It doesn't look that bad, is it leaving drops or puddles?

It's very minor, only forms a tiny drip after a day or two of sitting.

No ground drips or puddles

 

[leonard_nemoy]

It's very minor, only forms a tiny drip after a day or two of sitting.

No ground drips or puddles

I am sure others would fix it but if it were mine and it wasn't leaving drips on the driveway than I would just check the fluid once a month and make sure the diff stayed topped off.

If I had to add fluid once a month or more often than I would fix it.

If I could go two months or more between top offs than I would keep a very close eye on it and wait until the leak became more substantial before doing anything to fix it.

From the pictures I bet you could go 2 or 3 months before the fluid got low enough for a top off.

 

[Phil Mike]

I am sure others would fix it but if it were mine and it wasn't leaving drips on the driveway than I would just check the fluid once a month and make sure the diff stayed topped off.

If I had to add fluid once a month or more often than I would fix it.

If I could go two months or more between top offs than I would keep a very close eye on it and wait until the leak became more substantial before doing anything to fix it.

From the pictures I bet you could go 2 or 3 months before the fluid got low enough for a top off.

Thank you for the excellent information and advice.

Much appreciated!

 

[Kernal]

Looks like someone has been in there before but likely not a Toyota dealer. Toyota FIPG for gear boxes is orangish red. The blue sealant poking out might be Hylomar, a non-hardening gasket sealant.

Many of us have had similar leaks. Here's one previous discussion:

Front Differential leak

Is your axle vent clogged? The gear oil level shouldn't be up that high (and probably isn't) But it makes me wonder if as the diff heats in operation and pressurizes while oil is slung up that high it is coming out for that reason. These axles have a tendancy to plug their vents.

forum.ih8mud.com

The studs and nuts can loosen up. Hard to tell from your photos, but wash off that area again then watch it very closely (frequently) to see where the drip first appears. If it appears to be near the nuts/studs for a quick fix you can try this:
remove a nut where the drip first appears, tighten the stud, then replace the nut and torque to spec. I added a touch of FIPG (form a gasket) around the stud prior to adding the nut.

Long term fix is as mentioned above, pull the rear axles, drop the driveshaft, then pull the diff carrier and reseal. But still need to ensure all the studs are tight.

 

[Dave 2000]

Being a little (alright a lot) OCD I would be all over that, but in your case I would take the above advice however, I would check the breather on top of the axle, it is run into a tube that is bundled up in the loom, this vents the differential, if this is blocked (very common) this will pressurise the axle casing, making the leak worse than it really is. The colour of the sealant used indicates the differential has been out, but why we don't know if a leak allowed the oil to get low enough to damage it, so it may have been repaired/replaced? The original problem could well have been the breather and was missed by whoever refitted the differential?

Just throwing this in, if you decided to repair this yourself be super aware of how heavy the differential is! And of course you could check the UJ's in the propshaft and...and....

Regards

Dave

 

[Phil Mike]

The truck had a frame up "restoration" before the camper was put on the back, so it's likely they checked the diff and/or replaced anything needing replacement.

I will definitely check the breather as I bet that is part of the issue.

Over 3 1/2 months driving around baja in the dirt and sand and whatever else and I haven't cleaned it, but I sure will now.

Thanks to everyone for responding!